1. Field
The described embodiments relate to electronic devices. More specifically, the described embodiments relate to the establishment of network connections between electronic devices.
2. Related Art
Many modern electronic devices include a networking subsystem that is used to communicate with other electronic devices. For example, these electronic devices can include networking subsystem with a cellular network interface (UMTS, LTE, etc.), a wireless network interface (e.g., a wireless network such as described in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards 802.11), and/or another type of wireless interface.
In order to configure an electronic device to communicate peer to peer with another device using a given network interface, a number of operations are typically performed to enable the devices to find each other, determine how communication is to be formatted, determine security options, and initiate direct communication. These operations are generally performed in sequence, with each operation requiring a number of communications to make a trip between the electronic devices. For this reason, configuring electronic devices to communicate peer to peer with other electronic devices can be time consuming, which can delay the transmission of useful data (e.g., data from an application on an electronic device awaiting transmission to the other electronic device) between the electronic devices.
In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same figure elements.